Poughkeepsie woman accused of sending narcotic-soaked mail to state prisons
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Poughkeepsie woman has been arrested after allegedly sending narcotic-soaked mail to incarcerated individuals at two New York correctional facilities, according to New York State Police. Elyse DeGeorge, 30, faces three felony counts.
According to an investigation by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) Office of Special Investigations, DeGeorge sent mail that was covered in narcotics to several incarcerated individuals at Coxsackie Correctional Facility and Five Points Correctional Facility. The 30-year-old was arrested on April 29, police said.
DeGeorge was reportedly arraigned on three counts of first-degree promoting prison contraband, a felony. She was ordered held at the Dutchess County Jail on $5,000 cash bail, $10,000 bond or $100,000 partially secured bond, and an investigation into the incident is ongoing, according to authorities. DOCCS Special Investigators declined to comment on what drugs were found on the mail.
When asked about the case, DOCCS told NEWS10 that they are committed to ensuring the safety of its staff and incarcerated population.
"The safety and well-being of staff and incarcerated individuals is our top priority," DOCCS said. "The department has zero tolerance for contraband of any kind being sent to or smuggled into our facilities and anyone engaged in that type of misconduct will be disciplined, and if warranted, incidents will be referred for outside prosecution."
In an effort to prevent the entrance of contraband into state prisons, DOCCS said that it has implemented a system-wide process that screens legal mail for contraband before it is opened. The process is reportedly already in use at 10 correctional facilities across the state and will be implemented in the remaining prisons soon.
Additionally, upon the recommendation of the Prison Violence Task Force, DOCCS has employed a vendor package program that aims to improve facility security by "addressing the significant increase in the number of packages found to contain contraband drugs and weapons."
"The program has been very successful in reducing the amount of contraband found in incoming packages from 920 package room recoveries in 2020 to 34 recoveries in 2024, a 96 percent reduction," DOCCS told NEWS10, adding that the DOCCS Office of Special Investigation's K9 unit has also been expanded to detect contraband.
In March, an Albany woman was charged with sending drug-soaked papers into New York State prisons. Maya McIntosh, 33, reportedly pleaded guilty to several charges and faces up to 20 years in prison for each count.
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